Seroprevalence of Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Antibodies among Municipal Staff in the Municipality of Prishtina

Background: Some studies have assessed the seroprevalence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in different populations. Very few studies have explored seroprevalence in municipal workers, an important and potentially high-risk population. This study aims to determine the prevalence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in municipal workers, with the additional examination of the association of prevalence with various demographic, health-related, and epidemiological factors. Methods: We surveyed and tested for seroprevalence 418 public servants from the municipality of Prishtina, the capital of Kosovo. The primary prespecified outcome was the seroprevalence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, IgG, and IgM. Additional outcomes were crude and adjusted odds ratios of seroprevalence by different factors. Results: 21.1% of municipal workers tested positive for either IgM or IgG. Of these, 9.6% were positive for IgM and 19.4% for IgG. Data showed high levels of adherence to protective measures, e.g., social distancing in the office, but calculation of ORs did not show a significant difference between those reporting adherence to such measures and those reporting nonadherence. Of other examined factors, significantly lower odds were observed for smokers (0.52, 95% CI 0.28, 0.97), while municipal workers with infected family members had elevated odds of seropositivity according to both crude (2.19, 95% CI 1.34, 3.59) and adjusted (2.00, 95% CI 1.17, 3.41) ORs. Conclusions: Most answers from public servants demonstrated compliance to social-distancing policies in the workplace, but analysis of crude and adjusted odds ratios did not suggest a significant effect between municipal workers who followed these guidelines and those who did not. Results from this study help Kosovo policy makers in understanding the level of prevalence of COVID-19 in municipal workers and the effect of different factors on such prevalence. Results from the study could inform future decisions on the design and application of protective measures for municipal workers. Our findings should encourage further research to assess the extent of the spread of COVID-19 to other essential workers in Kosovo, including retail workers.

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Association of Health Checkups with Health-Related Quality of Life Among Public Servants: A Nationwide Survey in Taiwan

10.21203/rs.3.rs-42006/v2 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Dann-Pyng Shih ◽

Hsien-Wen Kuo ◽

Wen-Miin Liang ◽

Ping-Yi Lin ◽

Po-chang Tseng ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Health Status ◽

Chronic Diseases ◽

Health Related Quality ◽

Health Checkup ◽

Public Servants ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Related Quality ◽

Health Related

Abstract Background: Preventive health checkups have gained in importance over the last decade. The association of health checkups and the number of diseases with health-related quality of life (HRQoL), including physical and mental health, remains unclear. We sought to investigate the aforementioned association among Taiwanese public servants.Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted using randomized and multistage stratified cluster sampling based on proportional probabilistic sampling. The questionnaires addressed demographics, job characteristics, health behaviors, health status, 3 types of health checkups during the preceding 3 years (government-paid health checkup [GPHC], self-paid health checkup [SPHC], and no health checkup [NOHC]), and physical component summary (PCS) and mental component summary (MCS) scores of the Short-Form Health Survey. In total 11,454 middle-aged public servants were analyzed. A multivariate general linear model (GLM) was used to estimate PCS and MCS scores by using least square means.Results: Health checkup types were associated with a significant difference in PCS scores among the public servants. Scores of PCS and MCS were both significantly higher in the GPHC group than in the NOHC group for those with no chronic diseases (51.20 vs. 50.66 [P = 0.008] and 46.23 vs. 45.58 [P = 0.02], respectively). Compared with the NOHC group, both scores of GPHC and SPHC groups were significantly associated with higher PCS scores for public servants with ≥2 chronic diseases (46.93 vs. 45.13 [P = 0.002] and 46.52 vs. 45.13 [P = 0.009], respectively).Conclusion: In Taiwan, public servants undergoing GPHCs are more likely to report higher PCS scores than are those undergoing SPHCs. It is crucial that encourage periodically using the health checkup to improve health status and HRQoL.

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Talent Identification and Relative Age Effects in English Male Rugby Union Pathways: From Entry to Expertise

Frontiers in Sports and Active Living ◽

10.3389/fspor.2021.640607 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 3 ◽

Author(s):

Adam L. Kelly ◽

Kevin Till ◽

Daniel Jackson ◽

Donald Barrell ◽

Kate Burke ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Learning Environment ◽

Confidence Intervals ◽

Rugby Union ◽

Age Effects ◽

Odds Ratios ◽

Chi Square ◽

Talent Identification ◽

Policy Makers ◽

Relative Age ◽

Significant Difference

A common practice in youth rugby union is to group players based on (bi)annual age with fixed cut-off dates. The overrepresentation of players born at the start of the cut-off date and the underrepresentation of players born toward the end of the cut-off date are termed relative age effects (RAEs). The aim of this study was to examine RAEs during entry into professional and international rugby union pathways in England, as well as comparing them to their respective senior cohort: U15 Regional Academy Player (n = 1,114) vs. Senior Professional Player (n = 281) and U16–23 England Academy Player (n = 849) vs. Senior International Player (n = 48). Chi-square (χ2) analysis compared birth quarter (BQ) distributions against expected distributions. Odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals compared the likelihood of a BQ being selected. Findings revealed a significant overrepresentation of relatively older players compared with their relatively younger peers within both youth cohorts (P < 0.001; BQ1 = 42.5% vs. BQ4 = 9.6%; BQ1 = 36.5% vs. BQ4 = 15.2%). In comparison, there was no significant difference in the BQ distributions within both senior cohorts. Further, BQ4s were 3.86 and 3.9 times more likely to achieve senior professional and international levels than BQ1s and BQ2s, respectively. It is suggested that relatively younger players may have a greater likelihood of achieving expertise following entry into a rugby union talent pathway due to benefitting from more competitive play against relatively older counterparts during their development (e.g., reversal effects; the underdog hypothesis). Moreover, possible solutions (e.g., age and anthropometric banding; playing-up and playing-down) are discussed to encourage practitioners and policy makers to create the most appropriate learning environment for every player.

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Association of health checkups with health-related quality of life among public servants: a nationwide survey in Taiwan

Health and Quality of Life Outcomes ◽

10.1186/s12955-021-01684-1 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 19 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Dann-Pyng Shih ◽

Hsien-Wen Kuo ◽

Wen-Miin Liang ◽

Ping-Yi Lin ◽

Pochang Tseng ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Health Status ◽

Chronic Diseases ◽

Health Related Quality ◽

Health Checkup ◽

Public Servants ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Related Quality ◽

Health Related

Abstract Background Preventive health checkups have gained in importance over the last decade. The association of health checkups and the number of diseases with health-related quality of life (HRQoL), including physical and mental health, remains unclear. We sought to investigate the aforementioned association among Taiwanese public servants. Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted using randomized and multistage stratified cluster sampling based on proportional probabilistic sampling. The questionnaires addressed demographics, job characteristics, health behaviors, health status, 3 types of health checkups during the preceding 3 years (government-paid health checkup [GPHC], self-paid health checkup [SPHC], and no health checkup [NOHC]), and physical component summary (PCS) and mental component summary (MCS) scores of the Short-Form Health Survey. In total 11,454 middle-aged public servants were analyzed. A multivariate general linear model (GLM) was used to estimate PCS and MCS scores by using least square means. Results Health checkup types were associated with a significant difference in PCS scores among the public servants. Scores of PCS and MCS were both significantly higher in the GPHC group than in the NOHC group for those with no chronic diseases (51.20 vs. 50.66 [P = 0.008] and 46.23 vs. 45.58 [P = 0.02], respectively). Compared with the NOHC group, both scores of GPHC and SPHC groups were significantly associated with higher PCS scores for public servants with ≥ 2 chronic diseases (46.93 vs. 45.13 [P = 0.002] and 46.52 vs. 45.13 [P = 0.009], respectively). Conclusion In Taiwan, public servants undergoing GPHCs are more likely to report higher PCS scores than are those undergoing SPHCs. It is crucial that encourage periodically using the health checkup to improve health status and HRQoL.

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The Effect of Saudi Consumers’ Awareness and Attitude Towards Saudi Food and Drugs Authority’ Food Policies on Body Mass Index

Current Research in Nutrition and Food Science Journal ◽

10.12944/crnfsj.9.2.23 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (2) ◽

pp. 597-605

Author(s):

Suzan H. Tami ◽

Mohammed Al-Mahish

Keyword(s):

Body Mass Index ◽

Body Mass ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Policy Makers ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Health Related ◽

Food Policies ◽

Socio Economic Variables ◽

Nutrition Educators

This paper aimed to examine the effect of Saudi consumers’ awareness and attitude towards Saudi Food and Drugs Authority’s (SFDA) food policies on their average Body Mass Index (BMI), and whether consumers’ socio-economic variables impacted their BMI. In this cross-sectional study, 584 Saudi adults completed an electronic questionnaire. The results of a two-sample t-test showed that there was a significant difference in the mean of BMI among consumers who followed SFDA news and regulations and those who did not. Also, the findings revealed that the BMI mean of consumers who cooperated with SFDA by reporting food safety violations was significantly different compared to consumers who did not cooperate with SFDA. The results of the binary logit model indicated that several socio-demographic characteristics (age, gender, income) impacted consumers’ BMI. The findings of this study may assist nutrition educators and policy makers to plan programs to improve health-related behaviors.

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Association of Health Checkups with Health-Related Quality of Life Among Public Servants: A Nationwide Survey in Taiwan

10.21203/rs.3.rs-42006/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Dann-Pyng Shih ◽

Hsien-Wen Kuo ◽

Wen-Miin Liang ◽

Ping-Yi Lin ◽

Pochang Tseng ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Health Status ◽

Chronic Diseases ◽

Health Related Quality ◽

Health Checkup ◽

Public Servants ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Related Quality ◽

Health Related

Abstract Background: Preventive health checkups have gained in importance over the last decade. The association of health checkups and the number of diseases with health-related quality of life (HRQoL), including physical and mental health, remains unclear. We sought to investigate the aforementioned association among Taiwanese public servants.Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted using randomized and multistage stratified cluster sampling based on proportional probabilistic sampling. The questionnaires addressed demographics, job characteristics, health behaviors, health status, 3 types of health checkups during the preceding 3 years (government-paid health checkup [GPHC], self-paid health checkup [SPHC], and no health checkup [NOHC]), and physical component summary (PCS) and mental component summary (MCS) scores of the Short-Form Health Survey. In total 11,454 middle-aged public servants were analyzed. A multivariate general linear model (GLM) was used to estimate PCS and MCS scores by using least square means.Results: Health checkup types were associated with a significant difference in PCS scores among the public servants. Scores of PCS and MCS were both significantly higher in the GPHC group than in the NOHC group for those with no chronic diseases (51.20 vs. 50.66 [P = 0.0078] and 46.23 vs. 45.58 [P = 0.0192], respectively). Compared with the NOHC group, both scores of GPHC and SPHC groups were significantly associated with higher PCS scores for public servants with ≥2 chronic diseases (46.93 vs. 45.13 [P = 0.0023] and 46.52 vs. 45.13 [P = 0.0094], respectively).Conclusion: In Taiwan, public servants undergoing GPHCs are more likely to report higher PCS scores than are those undergoing SPHCs. It is crucial that encourage periodically using the health checkup to improve health status and HRQoL.

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HIP FRACTURES IN 5 YEARS AT HUE UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL

Journal of Medicine and Pharmacy ◽

10.34071/jmp.2013.6.8 ◽

2014 ◽

pp. 47-50

Author(s):

Duy Binh Ho ◽

Nghi Thanh Nhan Le ◽

Maasalu Katre ◽

Koks Sulev ◽

Märtson Aare

Keyword(s):

Hip Fracture ◽

Femoral Neck ◽

Hip Fractures ◽

Age Groups ◽

Femoral Fractures ◽

Femoral Neck Fractures ◽

University Hospital ◽

High Risk Population ◽

Intertrochanteric Fractures ◽

Significant Difference

Aim: This study aimed to review the clinical findings and surgical intervention of the hip fracture at the Hue University Hospital in Vietnam. Methods:The data of proximal femoral fractures was collected retrospectively. All patients, in a period of 5 years, from Jan 2008 to December 2012, suffered either from intertrochanteric or femoral neck fractures. The numbers of patients were gathered separately for each year, by age groups (under 40, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69, 70-79, older) and by sex. We analyzed what kind of treatment options were used for the hip fracture. Results:Of 224 patients (93 men and 131 women) studied, 71% patients are over 70 years old, 103 women and 56 men (p<0.05). For patients under 40 years, there were 1 woman and 11 men (p<0.05). There were 88 intertrochanteric and 136 femoral neck fractures. There was no significant difference in the two fractures between men and women. The numbers of hip fracture increased by each year, 29/224 cases in 2010, 63/224 cases in 2011, 76/224 cases in 2012. Treatment of 88 intertrochanteric fractures: 49 cases (55.7%) of dynamic hip screw (DHS), 14 cases of hemiarthroplasty (15.9%), 2 cases of total hip replacement (2.3%). Treatment of 136 femoral neck fractures: 48 cases of total replacement (35.3%), 43 cases of hemiarthroplasty (31.6%), 15 cases of screwing (11%). In cases of 40 patients (17.9%) hip fracture was managed conservatively, 23 were femoral neck fractures and 17 were intertrochanteric fractures. Conclusions: Hip fracture is growing challenge in Hue medical university hospital. The conservative approach is still high in people who could not be operable due to severe medical conditions as well as for patients with economic difficulties. Over 70% of the hip fractures in people 70+ are caused by osteoporosis. The number of hip fracture is increasing in the following years, most likely due to the increase in the prevalence of osteoporosis. Early detection and prevention of osteoporosis should be addressed, particularly in high risk population. More aggressive surgical approach should be implemented in order to improve the quality of life in patients with hip fractures. Key words:Hip fracture.

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Robust estimation of SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in US counties

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-90195-6 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Hanmo Li ◽

Mengyang Gu

Keyword(s):

Transmission Rate ◽

Public Awareness ◽

Mitigation Measures ◽

Infectious Period ◽

Protective Measures ◽

Social Distancing ◽

The Public ◽

The Us ◽

Local Officials ◽

Us Counties

AbstractThe COVID-19 outbreak is asynchronous in US counties. Mitigating the COVID-19 transmission requires not only the state and federal level order of protective measures such as social distancing and testing, but also public awareness of time-dependent risk and reactions at county and community levels. We propose a robust approach to estimate the heterogeneous progression of SARS-CoV-2 at all US counties having no less than 2 COVID-19 associated deaths, and we use the daily probability of contracting (PoC) SARS-CoV-2 for a susceptible individual to quantify the risk of SARS-CoV-2 transmission in a community. We found that shortening by $$5\%$$ 5 % of the infectious period of SARS-CoV-2 can reduce around $$39\%$$ 39 % (or 78 K, $$95\%$$ 95 % CI: [66 K , 89 K ]) of the COVID-19 associated deaths in the US as of 20 September 2020. Our findings also indicate that reducing infection and deaths by a shortened infectious period is more pronounced for areas with the effective reproduction number close to 1, suggesting that testing should be used along with other mitigation measures, such as social distancing and facial mask-wearing, to reduce the transmission rate. Our deliverable includes a dynamic county-level map for local officials to determine optimal policy responses and for the public to better understand the risk of contracting SARS-CoV-2 on each day.

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Avoidance of Healthcare Utilization in South Korea during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Pandemic

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18084363 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (8) ◽

pp. 4363

Author(s):

Minjung Lee ◽

Myoungsoon You

Keyword(s):

General Population ◽

South Korea ◽

Healthcare Utilization ◽

Online Survey ◽

Negative Impact ◽

Sociodemographic Characteristics ◽

Related Factors ◽

First Case ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Health Related

Avoidance of healthcare utilization among the general population during pandemic outbreaks has been observed and it can lead to a negative impact on population health. The object of this study is to examine the influence of socio-demographic and health-related factors on the avoidance of healthcare utilization during the global outbreak of a novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in 2020. Data were collected through an online survey four weeks after the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) confirmed the first case in South Korea; 1000 subjects were included in the analysis. The logit model for regression was used to analyze the associations between sociodemographic and health-related factors regarding the avoidance of healthcare utilization. Among the participants, 73.2% avoided healthcare utilization, and there was no significant difference in the prevalence of healthcare avoidance between groups with (72.0%) and without (74.9%) an underlying disease. Sociodemographic characteristics (e.g., gender, age, income level, and residential area) were related to healthcare avoidance. Among the investigated influencing factors, residential areas highly affected by COVID-19 (i.e., Daegu/Gyeoungbuk region) had the most significant effect on healthcare avoidance. This study found a high prevalence of healthcare avoidance among the general population who under-utilized healthcare resources during the COVID-19 outbreak. However, the results reveal that not all societal groups share the burden of healthcare avoidance equally, with it disproportionately affecting those with certain sociodemographic characteristics. This study can inform healthcare under-utilization patterns during emerging infectious disease outbreaks and provide information to public health emergency management for implementing strategies necessary to improve the preparedness of the healthcare system.

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Quality of life assessments in clinical practice using either the EORTC-QLQ-C30 or the SEIOQL-DW: a randomized study

Journal of Patient-Reported Outcomes ◽

10.1186/s41687-021-00315-z ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 5 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Åsa Kettis ◽

Hanna Fagerlind ◽

Jan-Erik Frödin ◽

Bengt Glimelius ◽

Lena Ring

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Clinical Practice ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Patient Reported ◽

Health Related Qol ◽

Health Related ◽

Secondary Outcomes ◽

The Impact ◽

Over Time

Abstract Background Effective patient-physician communication can improve patient understanding, agreement on treatment and adherence. This may, in turn, impact on clinical outcomes and patient quality of life (QoL). One way to improve communication is by using patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs). Heretofore, studies of the impact of using PROMs in clinical practice have mostly evaluated the use of standardized PROMs. However, there is reason to believe that individualized instruments may be more appropriate for this purpose. The aim of this study is to compare the effectiveness of the standardized QoL-instrument, the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life C-30 (EORTC-QOL-C30) and the individualized QoL instrument, the Schedule for the Evaluation of Individual Quality of Life-Direct Weighting (SEIQoL-DW), in clinical practice. Methods In a prospective, open-label, controlled intervention study at two hospital out-patient clinics, 390 patients with gastrointestinal cancer were randomly assigned either to complete the EORTC-QOL-C30 or the SEIQoL-DW immediately before the consultation, with their responses being shared with their physician. This was repeated in 3–5 consultations over a period of 4–6 months. The primary outcome measure was patients’ health-related QoL, as measured by FACIT-G. Patients’ satisfaction with the consultation and survival were secondary outcomes. Results There was no significant difference between the groups with regard to study outcomes. Neither intervention instrument resulted in any significant changes in health-related QoL, or in any of the secondary outcomes, over time. This may reflect either a genuine lack of effect or sub-optimization of the intervention. Since there was no comparison to standard care an effect in terms of lack of deterioration over time cannot be excluded. Conclusions Future studies should focus on the implementation process, including the training of physicians to use the instruments and their motivation for doing so. The effects of situational use of standardized or individualized instruments should also be explored. The effectiveness of the different approaches may depend on contextual factors including physician and patient preferences.

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Public Response, Anxiety and Behaviour during the First Wave of COVID-19 Pandemic in Saudi Arabia

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18094628 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (9) ◽

pp. 4628

Author(s):

Amani Salem Alqahtani ◽

Meshael Mohammed Alrasheed ◽

Ada Mohammed Alqunaibet

Keyword(s):

Cross Sectional ◽

Protective Measures ◽

Policy Makers ◽

Factors Affecting ◽

Public Response ◽

Social Events ◽

Phone Survey ◽

Younger Age ◽

Low Levels ◽

The Government

This study aims to investigate public response attitude, anxiety, practices and trust in the authorities’ mitigation plan during the first wave of COVID-19 pandemic. A national cross sectional phone survey was conducted among Saudi residents aged 16 years and above. A total of 90,421 (45.2%) individuals participated in the study. Of those, the overall rate of COVID-19 correct knowledge was 82% (mean: 9.84); social media was the most reported source of knowledge. Younger age, low levels of education and foreign residents were associated with poor knowledge. Overall, 49.5% scored 5 or more on the GAD-7 test, indicating anxiety symptoms, 19.2% of them scored 10 and above, suggesting moderate to severe anxiety. Majority of participants (>78%) trusted and supported the interventions implemented by the government to control COVID-19. Social distancing practices among participants was as following, 72.5% stayed at home and avoid going out for nonessential business and 49.5% avoided attending social events and family gatherings. Trust in authorities, being anxious, worry and levels of knowledge about the disease, were the most common factors affecting adoption of the recommended practices. Continuous evaluation of public response about COVID-19, and the effectiveness of protective measures is essential to better inform policy-makers and identify ways of encouraging behaviour change among public during pandemic.

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